Serological evidence of African horse sickness virus infection of donkeys in Karamoja sub-region, North-eastern Uganda

Abstract

African horse sickness virus (AHSV) causes a non-contagious, infectious insect-borne disease of equids and it is endemic in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa but extends beyond its endemic zones to the Arabian Peninsula, Asia and Europe. The usual mode of transmission is by biting midge, a biological vector and Culicoides imicola appears to be the principal vector. Serum samples were screened from camels and donkeys for AHSV antibodies using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Results revealed that 16/22 (73%) donkeys had been exposed to AHSV. All 85 camels screened in the study tested negative to AHSV. This was the first study of AHSV in Uganda and it was geared at creating awareness for the veterinary service needs of these animal species which is non-existent so far. Key words: African horse sickness virus (AHSV), Culicoides spp., camels, donkeys, Uganda.